On Saturday night we went to the concluding concert of the masterclass under the guidance of maestro Murray Perahia at a the Jerusalem Music Center. Eight pianists between the ages of fourteen and eighteen played extremely demanding works with a wonderful mixture of youthful enthusiasm and maturity. Each one was better than the last, and I'm sure that most of them could become successful performers if they continue in that path and are fortunate.
They all played with great skill, and clearly they have invested hours and hours of practice to attain the high level of musicianship they displayed that evening. Obviously they haven't had the time to develop the repertoire expected of a top concert pianist, and their performances might have been lacking the depth of mature musicians, but they have acquired the foundations they can build on.
I found myself thinking that if you aren't great when you're a teenager, you probably will never be great.
And also that the potential of gifted young people, if they are motivated, guided, given the opportunity, and placed in a supportive environment, is almost magical, and not only in music.
I'm not in favor of musical education aimed solely at picking out the most gifted kids and training them to be professionals, and I'm not in favor of pushing kids, but of giving students a chance to blossom, to explore and develop their abilities, to find their own field of excellence. Obviously I don't know the young people who played at the concert, and I couldn't have been more impressed by their performances, but, on the other hand, it might not be terribly disastrous for them if they didn't perform till they were in their twenties, for example, unless they are totally drawn to performance. Not every gifted fifteen-year-old is capable of performing before a demanding audience - or interested in doing that. Also, not every fine musician is built for the rigors of an international career, with constant travel and enormous pressure, the sense that you're only as good as your last performance. If that's the only kind of career they're being trained for, and if they think that any other outcome would be tantamount to failure, that would be sad.
I hope that these young pianists are receiving wise and empathetic guidance along with their fine and rigorous musical training.
They all played with great skill, and clearly they have invested hours and hours of practice to attain the high level of musicianship they displayed that evening. Obviously they haven't had the time to develop the repertoire expected of a top concert pianist, and their performances might have been lacking the depth of mature musicians, but they have acquired the foundations they can build on.
I found myself thinking that if you aren't great when you're a teenager, you probably will never be great.
And also that the potential of gifted young people, if they are motivated, guided, given the opportunity, and placed in a supportive environment, is almost magical, and not only in music.
I'm not in favor of musical education aimed solely at picking out the most gifted kids and training them to be professionals, and I'm not in favor of pushing kids, but of giving students a chance to blossom, to explore and develop their abilities, to find their own field of excellence. Obviously I don't know the young people who played at the concert, and I couldn't have been more impressed by their performances, but, on the other hand, it might not be terribly disastrous for them if they didn't perform till they were in their twenties, for example, unless they are totally drawn to performance. Not every gifted fifteen-year-old is capable of performing before a demanding audience - or interested in doing that. Also, not every fine musician is built for the rigors of an international career, with constant travel and enormous pressure, the sense that you're only as good as your last performance. If that's the only kind of career they're being trained for, and if they think that any other outcome would be tantamount to failure, that would be sad.
I hope that these young pianists are receiving wise and empathetic guidance along with their fine and rigorous musical training.
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